Self-checkout stations at grocery stores and other retail stores are well known. The stations permit a consumer to scan articles for purchase so the station may identify the articles and a corresponding price. When the consumer indicates all articles for purchase have been presented to the terminal, a sub-total is accumulated, any taxes and discounts are computed, and a total amount due is displayed for the consumer. The station then allows the consumer to select a payment method. The station presents menu selections to the consumer so funds may be transferred to the retailer's account. Upon confirmation of payment, the articles are released to the consumer.
A self-checkout station typically includes a terminal, a scanner/scale for reading unit price codes (UPC) and determining article weight, a cashier keypad and display, a POS terminal for payment entry, a receipt printer, a change unit, and a checkout area for holding articles once they have been scanned. The terminal also includes a display, a processor, memory, programmed instructions, and data peripherals to control the operations of the station. The programmed instructions may contain modules for querying for article prices, computing totals and performing other functions related to the purchase of articles through a self-checkout station. Some checkout stations may also include a security application program that uses data from sensors such as scales to reduce the likelihood that the consumer leaves without scanning all of the articles or exchanging scanned articles with more expensive articles that have not been scanned.
Typically, two or more self-checkout stations are located proximately to one another with a checkout attendant station nearby. The checkout attendant may help consumers who may be using a self-checkout station for the first time, who are having trouble with scanning an article, or who are having difficulty with a payment method or the like. That is, the primary duty of the attendant is to provide assistance to customers who are using the self-checkout stations so the stations efficiently and quickly process customers with their checkouts. Although these attendants are available to assist in security monitoring, such duties actually detract from the performance of their primary duty.
Checkout stations that require cashiers or other store personnel to operate them have an architecture that is similar to that of the self-checkout stations. That is, they have a terminal that is coupled to a variety of peripherals, such as a hard disk drive, a display, a credit card terminal, and the like. However, these terminals have their primary display and keyboard oriented away from the consumer so a store employee may control the checkout procedure. Many fast food establishments have the same type of terminals, although the keyboards may be supplied with keys that may be pre-programmed or programmed on site for association with specific food items on an establishment's menu. Fast food terminals may also include peripherals, such as a hard disk drive, and ancillary displays. One example of ancillary displays is a display in the kitchen or other food preparing area where the display may be used to inform the staff of the ordered items that need preparation for service to consumers.
In each of the environments described above, each terminal includes a processor and the necessary hardware used to support its operation. For example, each processor typically resides on a printed circuit card that includes circuitry for controlling the communication bus of the terminal. Program and data memory is also required for the operating system and working memory space so each processor may perform in accordance with instructions for a checkout application. Not only are the hardware costs for each processor duplicated in each checkout station, self-checkout station, or attendant station, but the software costs are also replicated as well. That is, software licenses are required for copies of the operating system software and other application programs that reside within the memory of each terminal. These duplicative expenses increase the cost of these terminal systems for an industry that historically has low profit margins.
The cost of these duplicative elements is further exacerbated by the maintenance and service costs associated with these independent processor-controlled systems. Each processor and its requisite interface and support components are subject to wear and tear that may degrade the operational performance of a terminal and require replacement. Because the terminals are not likely to fail at approximately the same time, multiple service calls may be required to service the terminals and to replace failing components associated with the processors in the terminals. Likewise, software upgrades for the applications executed by the terminal processors require the memory of each processor to be serviced for installing the upgrade in the memory of a processor. This increases the amount of time required for a service call to upgrade the performance of a terminal.
Service calls to sites having multiple checkout stations also require that the maintenance person open the housing of each terminal to clean, inspect, or replace components. This duplicative activity of opening and closing each terminal during service or maintenance visits also increases the time and expense of service and maintenance calls.
What is needed is a way to reduce the duplication of processors and their support components in self-checkout and retail terminals.
What is needed is a way to reduce the need to house a terminal processor and its associated computer peripherals in a housing separate from another terminal processor and its associated computer peripherals.
What is needed is a way to reduce the need for multiple software licenses because a copy of an application program is required for each terminal.
What is needed is a way to reduce the time and expense for maintenance and service calls for checkout stations.